CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card Review
Pros
- Competitive welcome offer
- Earn 2 Aventura Points per $1 spent on eligible travel purchases
- Earn 1.5 points per $1 spent at eligible gas stations, grocery stores, and drug stores
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- Comprehensive travel insurance, including travel medical, trip cancellation, and auto rental collision benefits
- Priority airport lounge access
- Purchase security and extended warranty protection
- Financial tools, such as free access to your credit score through CIBC CreditSmart
Cons
- $120 annual fee
- Limited flexible points redemption options: primarily booked through the Aventura Travel Assistant
- No fee waiver for additional cardholders
- Higher earn rates on travel purchases limit the overall earning power
- Requires a minimum annual income of $15,000+ at least as an individual or $25,000+ as a household income
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Performance test results
At DollarWise, for each credit card we test 7 different factors including the rewards, value for money, perks, insurance, strengths and weaknesses of the card.
You can see our full testing methodology here to learn why we’re the most trusted source for credit card reviews.
The CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card has earned a 4.44 DollarWise Rating out of 5. This score is based on a weighted average of the two highest scoring factors (excluding acceptance and approval).
4.5
Rewards
1.2
Fees
2.7
Perks
2.6
Interest rates
4.3
Insurance
5.0
Acceptance
3.5
Approval
The highest scoring categories for the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card are rewards and insurance.
These factors are weighted 70% to the highest scoring factor and 30% to the second highest score to get an overall review score.
This weighting allows us to judge cards on their merits and the customers they are designed for.
For the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card the most important factors for scoring this card are its rewards and insurance.
Rewards
With the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card, here’s the rates at which you earn rewards for different spending categories per dollar you spend:
| Bills | 1 point |
| Pharmacy | 1.5 points |
| Gas | 1.5 points |
| Groceries | 1.5 points |
| Restaurants | 1 point |
| Specific Stores | 1 point |
| Travel | 1 point |
| All Other Spend | 1 point |
Calculating your annual rewards
We estimate that spending $2,000 per month with the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card would earn $653 in rewards over the year.
Our performance testing research uses an accurate estimation of the average Canadian households spending patterns to predict the rewards a card will earn.
We found that you’d earn this per category:
| Pharmacy | $21 |
| Gas | $82 |
| Groceries | $206 |
| All Other Spend | $344 |
Our study investigating the value found that each dollar spent on the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card is worth up to $0.02, depending on how you redeem.
This $653 in rewards value puts the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card in the top 10% of credit cards in Canada based on rewards earned.
The average credit card in our database earns $337 in rewards for the same spend that the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card earns $653 in rewards value.
We can compare this card to other options by looking at the earn rate by category.
This earn rate is the percentage return that you would get when you spend on this card, assuming you redeem at the predicted maximum value.
For example, if a card earned 5 points per dollar on gas and each point is worth up to $0.02, then the earn rate is 5 points multiplied by $0.02 each, divided by the dollar you spent.
In this example, that’s a 10% earn rate on gas.
| Spend | This Card | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | 2.29% | 1.25% |
| Pharmacy | 3.44% | 1.17% |
| Gas | 3.44% | 1.48% |
| Groceries | 3.44% | 1.71% |
| Restaurant | 2.29% | 1.53% |
| Store | 2.29% | 1.94% |
| Travel | 2.29% | 1.19% |
| Other | 2.29% | 1.08% |
| Redemption method | Annual rewards |
|---|---|
| Redeem for travel | $285 |
| Apply to statement credit | $237 |
| Charity | $285 |
| Gift cards | $202 |
| Merchandise | $202 |
| Airlines Rewards (Charts) | $653 |
| CIBC financial products | $237 |
For an annual spend of $24,000, we estimated annual rewards value at up to $653.
That’s equivalent to a 2.72% return on spending.
The CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card has an annual fee of $139. After deducting this, we predicted net annual rewards of $514.
This puts it in the top 10% of credit cards for net rewards after fees.
In comparison, the average card earns net annual rewards of $254.
Fees
The CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card has a $139 annual fee.
The average card charges $85. So, the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card is in the top 20% of cards based on the cost of the annual fee.
Perks
We manually review the perks of each credit card to determine how they compare to other cards.
The CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card scored a 2.7 out of 5 for perks, putting it in the top 20% of cards.
The average card scores 1.6 out of 5 for perks.
Interest Rates
| Purchase | 20.99% |
| Cash Advance | 21.99% |
| Balance Transfer | 21.99% |
The average (median) credit card has a purchase interest rate of 19.99% and so the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card charges 1% more than the average.
For cash advances it costs 21.99% compared to the average of 19.96%.
Testing the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card with a $2,000 starting balance, you can see in the graph how the 1% more in interest rates impacts the interest over a year, compared to the average card.
Insurance coverage
| Insurance | This Card | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Extended Warranty | 1 year | 1 year |
| Purchase Protection | 90 days | 90 days |
| Travel Accident | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Emergency Medical Term | 15 days | 15 days |
| Flight Delay | $500 | $500 |
| Baggage Delay | $500 | $500 |
| Lost or Stolen Baggage | $500 | $1,000 |
| Rental Car Theft & Damage | Yes | No |
| Hotel Burglary | $2,500 | $1,000 |
| Mobile Phone Insurance | $1,000 | $1,000 |
We scored it 4.3 out of 5 for insurance.
It offers 10 types of insurance, whereas the average card has 5 types of coverage.
Approval and qualifying
| Do I qualify? | |
|---|---|
| Estimated Credit Score | 560 – 659 |
| Personal Income | $0 |
| Household Income | $15,000 |
| Fees | |
|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $139 |
| Extra Card Fee | $0 |
| Card type | Visa |
We scored it 3.5 out of 5 for approval.
We predict that you will require a credit score of at least 560 to qualify for the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card, while the average card requires 652 to qualify.
This puts it in the top bottom 30% of cards by approval difficulty.
The personal income requirements are $0, while the average card requires $23,896.
This puts it in the top 50% of cards by the income required to qualify.
How you earn rewards
Part of choosing a card is deciding the type of rewards you want. The CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card is one of the best CIBC credit cards and here’s how you earn rewards:
| Bills | 1 point |
| Pharmacy | 1.5 points |
| Gas | 1.5 points |
| Groceries | 1.5 points |
| Restaurants / Delivery | 1 point |
| Specific Stores | 1 point |
| Travel | 1 point |
| All Other Spend | 1 point |
The CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card is an attractive option for Canadians who enjoy travel rewards. If a lot of your monthly spend comes through gas and groceries, this might be a good card for you because these categories give 1.5 points per dollar you spend.
Earning rewards with the CIBC aventura gold
The CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card earns Aventura Points on eligible purchases. Point rewards are distributed as follows:
- 2 Aventura Points per $1 spent on travel booked through the CIBC Rewards Centre
- 1.5 Aventura Points per $1 spent on gas, groceries, and at drugstores
- 1 Aventura Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Benefits
- Spend Your Points on Travel With Cibc: Cardholders have access to personalized travel planning and booking through the CIBC Rewards Centre, where they can use their Aventura Points for flights, hotels, cruises, and more.
- Aventura Gold Card Includes Travel Insurance: This card provides comprehensive travel insurance coverage, including out-of-province emergency travel medical insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and baggage and personal effects insurance.
- Car Rental Discounts and Coverage: Cardholders can enjoy discounts on rental cars, as well as complimentary car rental collision/loss damage insurance when using the Aventura Gold Visa Card for rentals.
- Flexible Redemption Options for Aventura Points: Aventura Points can be used for various rewards, such as flights on any airline without blackout dates, gift cards, merchandise, or statement credits against eligible travel purchases.
The card also offers a “Points for Other Purchases” program, which allows users to redeem points toward practically anything they buy using the card.
Drawbacks
- Annual Fee: A significant drawback of the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card is the annual fee of $120, which can offset some of the reward value.
- Less Competitive Rewards Given the Fee: The overall reward rate of this card may be less competitive when compared to other travel rewards cards in the market, particularly for those who spend more on categories other than travel, gas, groceries, and at drugstores.
Additional information
Interested in other credit cards? If the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card credit card isn’t perfect for you, you might want to consider the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card. Plus, many Canadian’s that like the CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card like the CIBC US Dollar Aventura Gold Visa Card, and the CIBC AC Conversion Visa Prepaid Card.
FAQ
Key benefits
- Welcome bonus of up to 20,000 Aventura Points upon qualifying purchases
- Aventura Points do not expire for cardholders, ensuring long-term rewards
- Complimentary first checked bag for air travel when rewards are redeemed
- 24/7 access to personalized travel planning services
- Mobile device insurance covering eligible smartphones and tablets
- Access to Visa Infinite Dining Series and Wine Country experiences
- No foreign transaction fee on purchases made outside of Canada
- Invitations to special events and promotions exclusive to cardholders
- Assistance for services, such as roadside emergencies, as part of Visa Infinite Privilege Concierge
- Flexibility to redeem rewards points on merchandise, gift cards, and activities
